Several questions in José Luis Mendilibar’s press conference following Olympiacos’ 0-1 away win over Levadiakos focused on the goalscorer, Christos Mouzakitis. The “Red-and-whites” coach highlighted that the 18-year-old midfielder works hard with the team and, beyond his talent, also stands out for his quality.
Olympiacos coach’s full press conference:
This victory, with a goal courtesy of a homegrown Olympiacos player, is a title-winning victory and a sign of character, isn’t it?
It’s a win that proves we don’t give up until the final minute of the match. We missed many chances in both halves, hit the post twice, and despite our efforts, the goal wasn’t coming as the game was ending. But then, a young player scored, which is great both for the team and for him personally.
Is this goal even more important for the team, considering it came from a player who has been working hard to score?
He works hard, just like all the players do. Anyone in the squad has to put in the effort. But beyond effort, he has got the talent and quality that help him even more. We are happy every time he is in the starting lineup and contributes, just like we are happy when Kostoulas scores. Now, we celebrate Mouzakitis’ goal.
Once again, it was proven that these matches against smaller teams are the toughest?
Big teams always struggle against so-called smaller teams. But that just shows that these are not bad teams—they are good and have quality. They keep improving and making things difficult for their opponents. These matches are tough for us, and we have to put in a lot of effort to win them.
Apart from Mouzakitis, Velde also stood out in this match. Has he improved his performance? How have you helped him turn things around?
There’s only one way—what we always do. When you’re not performing well, you spend more time on the bench than on the field. The demands on the players are high, and those who give their all stay on the pitch longer and get more playing time.
With so many missed chances, did you start thinking the team wouldn’t score?
Yes, we did—especially in the first half, when we failed to score despite so many opportunities. At that point, we really started to worry about the game. But the goal came from a play that didn’t even seem that dangerous, and luckily, we managed to win.
Horta has returned, and Bruno and Palma have been signed. What do you expect from them?
We expect them to contribute. The team is competing in three different tournaments and has back-to-back matches. So, we need them to integrate quickly and deliver. If they manage to outperform some of the current players and add more to the team, that would be even better for us.
